Computer-Aided Design of Urban Transit Systems

A prototype man-computer system was developed for use in the design of urban bus transit systems. The Urban Transportation Analysis Section (UTRANS) permits design and evaluation of many alternatives within a relatively short period of time. UTRANS is currently limited to the design of transit systems that serve a many-to-one travel pattern, i.e., many trip origins having a common trip destination. The designer uses a graphics terminal to input design data for a bus transit system. A computerized behavioral model of mode split then predicts performance of the system design. A series of performance displays are provided for use in evaluation of the design. Repeated modifications of the original design permits the generation of many alternatives and eventual selection of a particular design that has best overall performance. An assessment of the utility of UTRANS in a real-world setting awaits the results of current efforts to apply the system in the design and evaluation of transit service to the University of Washington, Seattle, Wash.